October 30, 2009 - Around this time of year, we all like firing up our favorite slasher flick or scary game in the spirit of the season, but it's also a good time to give pause to think about one of gaming's most unique genres. Survival horror is one of the only genres defined not by gameplay mechanics, but by theme, atmosphere, subject matter, and design philosophy. It's also one that runs completely against the grain of the conventional wisdom about game design. If these experiences weren't scary, their gameplay decisions might be considered poor design, but coupled with effective atmosphere those same conventions serve to amplify fear. Survival horror games were some of the first to approach game design in terms of emotion, and as such, they're some of the most important titles in bridging the gap between art and games.

October 29, 2008 - Different things scare different people. For some, true fear may come from beyond the grave, taking the form of shambling zombies and vengeful ghosts. For others, fear may be born from our own vanity, twisting us inside and out into mutated, murderous monsters. Still others may find fear's ultimate expression in the unknown sounds and sensations that lie just beyond our perception. And of course, for some reason, many of us are most afraid of the soul-crushing loneliness of a live lived without love. Well, that and little girls.
But whatever it is that makes you truly afraid, odds are there's a game that capitalizes on that fear and invites you to confront it head on. Today we've perused the scariest titles available for the current crop of consoles and those that have come out on the PC in the last few years to come up with a "must have" list for gamers seeking the ultimate in scary experiences.

October 16, 2008 - This is Halloween, this is Halloween... October hosts the creepiest holiday of the year, making it the perfect time to break out your favorite horror games and enjoy a good scare. Horror-themed games have existed since the start of videogames -- remember Haunted House on the Atari 2600? -- but the genre has taken off since the PlayStation-Saturn-N64 generation finally gave developers the power to really craft some scary situations.

April 17, 2008 - SEGA of America, Inc. has announced that a playable demo for Condemned 2: Bloodshot, the next chapter in the terrifying series, will be available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft on Friday, April 18 at 2:00 am.

April 1, 2008 - Contrarian Corner is a feature on Insider meant to take a more critical look at some recently-released games. The average review tends to treat a game as an objective product, evaluating its merits based on a series of frequently technical categories, like sound, framerate, gameplay interface, value, variety of modes, and overall fun factor. This typically doesn't leave much room to look at a game's thematic elements or how well they are integrated with the game's technical components. To that end, Contrarian Corner is intended to be a place for a more holistic discussion of games which have been the recipient of either an abundance of single-minded praise, or an undue amount of criticism. We won't be taking cheap shots or lobbying baseless accusations from the bully pulpit, but, instead, aim to start a conversation about the human value of the games we play and how they might evolve from here. If you're interested in joining in, keep reading.
Games seem particularly well-suited to the exploitation of indecent themes with their foundation in fantasy fulfillment and participatory escapism. Condemned 2: Bloodshot, even more than its bleak predecessor, is an exploitive and persistently indecent game that traps players in a Clive Barker-esque minus world. It traps the player in a city that hopelessly oscillates between night and twilight; in which citizens are demented zombies who indiscriminately fight anything and everything that crosses their path; where demonic black ooze permeates every environment vomiting forth tarred mutants; a world where human organs and dismembered carcasses serve as criminal cartography for unwrapping the game's sequential mysteries. It's the kind of single-minded and cartoonish fantasy world that only an anxious fifteen year-old boy could love. Condemned 2 is a cruel reminder of how the prevailing aesthetics of videogamers can effectively snuff out the creative spark in an otherwise promising game.

March 27, 2008 - Who hasn't ever hosted the notion of grabbing a crazy woman in bondage gear, throwing her head into a hydraulic press and creating brains-pâté? Let me see a show of hands. Nobody? …Alright, so most normal people (read: non-IGN staff) can go about their lives without resorting to heretofore unheard of levels of violence, but that's the kind of game series Condemned is. It's the ends justifying the utterly blood-sodden means. It's a game about a drunken jerk who kills his way through junkies and monsters to stop a serial killer who has a thing for severing heads and ripping people up. Not exactly the happiest premise, really.

March 25, 2008 -
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About The Head-to-Head
The Head-to-Head is designed to let gamers know which version of a multiplatform game is worth your hard-earned money. We break down each segment of a game, and then tell you which platform reigns supreme when the dust settles.
Condemned 2: Bloodshot is a grim and nasty game, filled with visceral fisticuffs, grimy urban rot, and a bunch of demented homeless guys running around in pig masks. Really, it's no small wonder your character has to keep drinking booze to steady his gun hand. The game's also got an extraordinarily ambient sound design, persistently nightmarish visuals, great combo-based first person fighting, and a refined sleuthing component that adds a whole new layer of depth to the traditional first person game. As an added, bonus Monolith has added an online multiplayer mode to give fans of hardcore urban action coming back long after the single player campaign has been mastered. If that sounds like your kind of game, there's still one major decision standing in your way: is it better on PS3 or Xbox 360? We've gone the distance with both versions and lived to tell the tale. Keep on reading to find out which version is the best.

March 14, 2008 - SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced gamers can sample the highly anticipated Condemned 2 video game from esteemed development studio, Monolith Productions, via a demo released on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Available for immediate download, the demo is taken from mid-way through the first level and gives players an opportunity to get to grips with Ethan Thomas, the former Serial Crimes Unit investigator, in his crusade to discover just what is going on in the sinister world around him.

March 13, 2008 - LONDON (13th March, 2008) – SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced that two chilling Condemned 2™ Theme Packs and five Picture Packs are available via the Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®. Developed by Monolith Productions, the geniuses of spine-chilling video games, Condemned 2 is the next chapter in the award winning and critically acclaimed Condemned™ series. The two Theme Packs, "Fight Club Theme" & "Characters Theme" are full of beautifully grim artwork to use as wallpapers, whilst the Picture Packs feature similarly gruesome imagery. The Theme Packs are available for 150 Microsoft Points each, and the Picture Packs for 120 Microsoft Points each.

March 11, 2008 - SEGA of America, Inc. today announced that Condemned 2: Bloodshot has shipped to retailers for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and will be available on the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system on March 18, 2008. Condemned 2: Bloodshot, the next chapter in the horrifying series that began with the award-winning and critically acclaimed Condemned: Criminal Origins, is a first-person action thriller that will immerse players back into a universe of unimaginable psychological terror.

March 11, 2008 - If it came down to it, would you be willing to rip your toilet seat off of its hinges to beat down a frenzied meth addict? You'd better be prepared to answer 'yes' to that question if you're going to take a swing at Condemned 2: Bloodshot. The sequel to Monolith and SEGA's Xbox 360 launch title returns to the seedy underworld for more first-person melee combat with a hint of horror. Ok, it's more than a hint. Condemned 2 offers up the same formula that made the first game a success and tackles every criticism levelled at the franchise with success in most areas. It's not the perfect sequel, but it'll do for those of us that found the first a refreshing alternative to the standard first-person formula.

March 5, 2008 - Condemned 2 is set to hit store shelves March 11. The sequel to Monolith's bum-busting fright-fest includes an improved forensics kit, new enemies to battle and plenty of creepy moments. It also includes brand new Achievements for those who can withstand the terror.

February 13, 2008 - Condemned: Criminal Origins took us into the heart of a city gone mad, filled with psychopaths and unfriendly vagrants, on a search for a serial killer. Guns were an afterthought -- to survive you had to use whatever blunt object you could find. The sequel quite literally pulls no punches. This is a game that addresses every criticism of the first title and then ratchets the intensity up to 11.

February 12, 2008 - One of the areas most open to improvement in Condemned: Criminal Origins was the forensics investigations. Here you are, an officer looking for clues across a number of crime scenes, and the gameplay never evolved beyond pointing a tool the game chose for you at a spot and pushing a button. Monolith took the criticism regarding this aspect of the game to heart and Condemned 2 now features a much deeper and involved forensics system.

February 11, 2008 - If you didn't get a chance to play Condemned: Criminal Origins, now is the time to study up on the game in anticipation of the upcoming sequel from SEGA and Monolith. The makers of the game were kind enough to send over the backgrounds on a few of the main characters you'll run into in Bloodshot.

January 18, 2008 - Admit it. You got a queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach when SEGA announced that Monolith's follow-up to the Xbox 360 launch title, Condemned, would have multiplayer modes. This is a game where beating possessed vagrants to death with a blunt object is the norm. With the online multiplayer in Condemned 2 you'll do the same, only this time that bum will be controlled by your friend.

January 18, 2008 - The dawn of a new year brings with it unlimited possibilities. With more than 200 games already announced for Xbox 360 and many more announcements coming, 2008 has all the makings of a monster. Our purpose in providing a preview of Xbox 360 in 2008 is twofold: We want to help get your mind wrapped around the bevy of promising '08 titles and we want to leave you salivating for more.